The present invention relates to compositions and methods for wrinkle reduction in fabrics, including washable clothes, dry cleanable clothes, linens, bed clothes, draperies, window curtains, shower curtains, table linens, and the like requiring little, if any, pressing, ironing, and/or steaming are disclosed.
Bending and creasing cause wrinkles in textile fabrics by placing an external portion of a yarn filament under tension while the internal portion of the yarn filament is under compression. With cotton fabrics particularly, the hydrogen bonding that occurs between the cellulose molecules contributes to maintaining the wrinkles. The wrinkling of fabric, particularly clothing and household fabrics, is therefore subject to the inherent tensional elastic deformation and recovery properties of the individual fibers that make up the yarn.
In order to reduce wrinkles and provide fabric articles with a presentable appearance, the articles must either be pressed or steamed. Both processes involve exposing the articles to heat in order to relax wrinkles. Both processes also require an implement, heat-up time, and manual exposure of the articles to heat. Pressing, ironing, and steaming are labor-intensive tasks that require time to conduct. This labor and time is in addition to any cleaning and/or refreshing steps that must be taken prior to re-wear of articles. Some consumers send articles to costly dry cleaning service providers for cleaning just to avoid the additional step of pressing, ironing, or steamingxe2x80x94even if the consumer is willing and able to clean the articles themselves.
Increasingly however, consumers are subjected to more hectic lives and, as a result, demand less labor-intensive and/or more cost efficient fabric care either in the home or from commercial service providers. This demand has increased the pressure on textile technologists to create products that sufficiently reduce wrinkles in fabrics, especially clothing and household fabrics, and to produce a presentable fabric appearance with the convenient application of these products.
Accordingly, there is a need for wrinkle control in fabrics, including washable clothes, dry cleanable clothes, linens, bed clothes, draperies, window curtains, shower curtains, table linens, and the like requiring little, if any, pressing, ironing, and/or steaming. A solution would be capable of being used on damp or dry clothing to relax wrinkles and give clothes a ready to wear or ready to use look that is demanded by today""s hectic society.
The need is met by the present invention wherein compositions and methods for wrinkle reduction in fabrics, including washable clothes, dry cleanable clothes, linens, bed clothes, draperies, window curtains, shower curtains, table linens, and the like requiring little, if any, pressing, ironing, and/or steaming are disclosed. The present invention is suitable for application on damp or dry clothing to relax wrinkles and give clothes a ready to wear or ready to use look that is demanded by today""s hectic society. The present invention comprises both compositions and methods for reducing wrinkles in fabrics.
In one embodiment, the present invention provides a fabric treatment composition comprising:
(a) an effective amount, in one embodiment from about 0.001% to no greater than about 25% by weight of the composition, of a polymer to control wrinkles in fabric articles;
(b) a co-solvent; and
(c) a carrier.
In another embodiment, the present invention provides a method comprising the steps of:
(a) applying a fabric treating composition of the present invention;
(b) applying a fabric cleaning composition comprising a lipophilic fluid; and
(c) removing mechanically at least a portion of the fabric cleaning composition.
Accordingly, the present invention provides compositions and methods employing such compositions that reduce and/or control wrinkles in fabric articles.